County Clerk

Hourly pay raises were suggested for some county employees by the Boyle County Fiscal Court personnel committee Friday. The proposition would have to be approved by the full court. Solid waste employees would receive a $1-an-hour increase, a 50-cent increase is proposed for jail employees and those working in the county clerk's office would get a bump of 40 cents an hour. The proposed raises would not apply to the jailer, county clerk, chief deputies or the solid waste director.

Jessamine County officials and Churchill Crossing residents honored 32 veterans and 12 widows of deceased veterans during a ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 9, in the community off North Main Street in Nicholasville. Veterans honored were Churchill Crossing residents and had served in arenas including South Pacific jungles, hand-to-hand combat at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, and in Saigon in 1973. Guests at the event included Nicholasville Mayor Russ Meyer, Jessamine County Judge-Executive Neal Cassity, county clerk Eva McDaniel and Miss Kentucky Ann-Blair Thornton.

Ohio Casualty Insurance Co. was awarded a default judgment of $44,152 and interest in its lawsuit against former Mercer County Clerk Ronnie Compton. The amount represents the total claim Ohio Casualty, which bonded Compton as county clerk, paid to Mercer County Fiscal Court in May to cover losses incurred when Compton failed to fulfill his official duties. The total could change based on claims still being sought by various taxing districts and the recent release of money that remained in Compton's account kept as county clerk after he left office.

Dear Editor, Boyle County is favored with an excellent team of elected officials. With Harold McKinney as judge-executive, Richard Campbell as county attorney, Marty Elliott as sheriff and Trille Bottom as county clerk, we have had competent, solvent, understandable government in Boyle County. I urge my fellow citizens to re-elect them all. Beau Weston Danville

Boyle County Clerk Trille Bottom looked at the calendar on her office wall, shook her head and said, "It says Oct. 22, but it has sure felt like Nov. 4. " Since Oct. 1, Boyle County voters have been able to cast absentee ballots on a voting machine in Bottom's office, as well as apply for paper absentee ballots and return them. Since then, activity has been fast and furious as Election Day approaches. "We have had a high number of people voting absentee, both on the machine here at the office and by paper ballot," she said.

Dear Editor, As a former member of the Mercer County Board of Elections, I watched Ronnie Compton as he conducted meetings and elections in a professional and thorough manner. Although the county clerk's position is a very complex job, I was impressed with the way Ronnie virtually taught himself the job with very little assistance from long-time staff people. Ronnie brought former clerk Larry Short into the office for assistance at the beginning of his term; however, in order to keep the peace with the staff, this was unfortunately short-lived.

HARRODSBURG - Auditors found more than $11,000 in undeposited receipts in the office of Mercer County Clerk Ronnie Compton. That is just one of the findings in the report released Monday by Crit Luallen, the state auditor. The report says the clerk's office earned $99,686 in excess fees for 2005. However when it came time to turn those fees over to Mercer County Fiscal Court, only $89,521 was available. Judge-Executive John Trisler said today that the unpaid $10,165 still has not been received by his office.

Jessamine County Clerk Eva McDaniel won't have to look for another job this November. Tuesday she took home more than twice as many votes as her opponent, Democrat Carla Nickell Perkins. McDaniel, who won all 36 districts, finished with 3,519 votes to Nickell Perkins' 1,733 votes. Since there are no Republican candidates in the race, McDaniel advances unopposed. McDaniel said she is very appreciative of everyone who voted for her, and is humbled by the win. "I just want to thank the voters of Jessamine County," McDaniel said.

Dear Editor, On Sept. 18, 2006, voters both Republican and Democrat were appalled at Denise Curtsinger's unwillingness to listen to the public opinion. The issue, consolidation of polling places for the November election. At that time Curtsinger was unopposed in the election for county clerk. She thought, I have the job wrapped up for four more years, so why do I need to listen to the voice of the people? Voters, that has changed!! We now have a choice. Cindi Davidson has filed for the office as a 'write-in' candidate for the office of county clerk.

FRANKFORT ? Voters interested in changing party registration before the 2010 primary are running out of time to make the switch. The deadline in Kentucky for changing party registration is Dec. 31 ? both for voters and candidates. Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson says voters who fail to make the desired changes will not be allowed to switch their party preference come election day in May. Races that will appear on the 2010 ballot include, but are not limited to: U.S. senator, U.S. representative, state senator (even districts)